NFL PLAYOFF PREDICTIONS BY MARK

I can't let Evan outdo me on the horrible picks this year. I definitely have as poor a judgment at picking NFL games as he does - in high school I had a short stint gambling against spreads, and I was so bad at it that I started picking the opposite of my instincts (George Costanza style) and it actually worked most of the time.

I was with Evan all the way on the Raiders 0-16, and have been meaning to bring up the possibility of it happening for either the Bengals or the Lions as well (you're welcome Bengals/Lions fans). I also famously predicted the Packers to go to the Super Bowl after week 2, and briefly thought of bringing up on the show whether or not the Cowboys would go 16-0.

With that being said, here are my predictions for the 2008 NFL playoffs. I decided to go Moneyball style and will include point differentials in addition to record.

AFC PLAYOFF SEEDS (CURRENT RECORD/PT. DIFFERENTIAL)
1. Pittsburgh Steelers (5-1 / +52) AFC North Champions
2. Tennessee Titans (6-0 / +83) AFC South Champions
3. Buffalo Bills (5-1 / +31) AFC East Champions
4. San Diego Chargers (3-4 / +30) AFC West Champions
5. Denver Broncos (4-3 / -30) Wild Card
6. New England Patriots (4-2 / +13) Wild Card

The matchups and predicted winners:
Bills 20 Patriots 9
Chargers 38 Broncos 21

Steelers 17 Chargers 13
Titans 22 Bills 6

Steelers 13 Titans 10

NFC PLAYOFF SEEDS (CURRENT RECORD/PT. DIFFERENTIAL)
1. New York Giants (5-1 / +69) NFC East Champions
2. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-2 / +54) NFC South Champions
3. Green Bay Packers (4-3 / +35 ) NFC North Champions
4. Arizona Cardinals (4-2 / +33) NFC West Champions
5. Chicago Bears (4-3 / +46) Wild Card
6. Carolina Panthers (5-2 / +43) Wild Card

The matchups and predicted winners:
Packers 29 Panthers 17
Bears 27 Cardinals 17

Giants 16 Bears 3
Packers 24 Buccaneers 10

Packers 17 Giants 14

SUPER BOWL XLIII

Green Bay Packers 27
Pittsburgh Steelers 21

Sorry, Packers fans! I'm still picking your team to win the Super Bowl. What struck me most was how ridiculously hard it was to pick playoff teams in the NFC. Did you notice the Giants were the only team I picked from the East? Experts think all four of those teams are playoff contenders! I think the most likely scenario is the Redskins/Eagles/Cowboys beating each other up while the Bears and Panthers sneak into the wild card spots. Can't wait to see how these picks turn out, Evan! May the worst predictions win.